


The Good Bed

by Dee_Moyza



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:07:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dee_Moyza/pseuds/Dee_Moyza
Summary: After breaking one bed in the hotel room she’s sharing with Nida, Selphie challenges him to a game of Triple Triad to decide who gets the remaining bed.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3
Collections: Winter Festival 2020





	The Good Bed

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [The Island Closest to Hell's Winter Festival 2020](https://islandclosesttohell.tumblr.com/post/636197096138194944/winter-festival-2020) on Tumblr. 
> 
> Week one - Prompts: One Bed | Triple Triad

"You save the world, and it's still in shambles," Selphie muttered, shouldering her duffel bag and stepping off the train in Deling City. Nida followed, excusing both of them as they weaved through the crowd.

"I love trains," Selphie went on, "but I hate delays. You'd think Galbadia would've fixed the tracks to their eastern station by now. It's been over a year!"

"Not many people use it anymore, I guess," Nida ventured, squeezing between a couple to keep up with Selphie. "Its main use was for commuting Garden students. Now that G-Garden is gone–"

"They should build something else in its place! An arena, an event center, something where you could host giant festivals. That'll get business going again!"

"I highly doubt Galbadia has that kind of capital to spare. They're still in the process of rebuilding."

"Rebuilding?" Selphie turned to him, an incredulous eyebrow raised. "Ha! If they wanna see rebuilding, they should go to Trabia. These guys are just re…shuffling."

"Shuffling, huh? You may be onto something."

"What?"

"You can shuffle the cards, but you still have the same deck." Nida frowned. "Only time will tell if Galbadia has truly changed."

"Maybe. But you don't have to overthink it. It was just a silly remark." She brightened and stepped onto the escalator. "Come on, let's get something to eat. After spending all day on that train, I'm starving!"

Over dinner, Selphie and Nida discreetly reviewed their orders. They were in Deling City to facilitate secure transport of a valuable piece of art to a collector in Winhill. They would convene with the art handlers at the dealer's gallery the following morning and accompany the handlers as armed guards against potential theft.

"Are you sure it's just art?" Nida asked.

Selphie shrugged. "Don't know. It's really none of our business."

"You're right. But armed support just to deliver art? That seems excessive."

"If it was going to anybody else, I'd agree. But this guy in Winhill's a total art nut. I was there last year when a chicobo broke his vase, and he looked like he was about to cry. We found the pieces and he glued it back together, but I don't think it—or he—was the same."

"Really?"

"Hey, even I couldn't make something like that up." She smiled. "Relax, Nida. It's your first real mission, and it's a super easy one, to boot! Just remember your training and enjoy your time away from Garden."

Nida nodded and leaned back, looking around the restaurant as if noticing the décor and people for the first time. His wonder, and the realization of freedom dawning in his eyes, warmed Selphie, and for some reason, all she wanted to do in that moment was grab his wrist and show him everything Deling City offered. She wanted to take him down the rows of shops lining the main street and gawk with him at their window displays; she wanted to pull him aboard a city bus and let him figure out how to get where he wanted to go; she wanted to show him the archway where she and her comrades had trapped and fought Edea, and act out the memory in dramatic detail. 

She wanted to replace his docile cluelessness with actual _living._

Instead, she grabbed her fork and speared a large chunk of cake, shoving it into her mouth while Nida kept studying his surroundings. 

He grinned. "It _is_ nice to be out here."

"Right?" Selphie swallowed. "It's a great big world, Nida, and it's about time you got to explore it, too." 

⁂

Selphie noticed Nida holding out his hand for his room key while she unlocked the door; she chuckled and breezed through, turning on the lights while he registered the situation.

"What're you waiting for?" she called over her shoulder, depositing her bag on the bed farthest from the door. "You're not planning on sleeping in the hallway, are you?"

"No…" Nida took a cautious step forward, as if entering a Snow Lion's den, and surveyed the furnishings: two beds, one desk and chair, and another table and pair of chairs near the window. "Uh…just this room?"

"Yeah. Mega-bummer, I know, but you, of all people should know about Garden's budget cuts. All those repairs from the faction fights and the battle with G-Garden, and then the hangar that we have to build to get those airships from Esthar. Low enrollment, no wars…there's more going out than coming in, right now." She shrugged. "Anyway, it's no big deal. I've roomed with Squall and Zell and even Irvy before. Irvy was surprisingly polite; but I think having my nunchaku always within reach helped with that!"

"Yeah, no big deal." Nida stood beside his bed, but had yet to put down his bag. "Just a little bit awkward, I guess."

"Awkward? I'm not gonna be flouncing around in frilly underwear, you know. There's nothing to be awkward about." A mischievous grin crept across Selphie's face. "Unless…you don't trust me, Nida? Afraid I'll cuddle you to death in the middle of the night?"

Nida swallowed hard. "'Cuddle' isn't the word that comes to mind."

"Oh?"

"More like, 'strangle.'"

Selphie frowned. "Hey. Hey, not cool. You're my friend, Nida. Or my colleague, at least. I wouldn't hurt you."

"Not knowingly, I'm sure. But there are dreams, nightmares, sleepwalking. You can be scary enough when you're fully awake."

"I'll take that last bit as a compliment. But if I do any of the rest, feel free to punch me. A good, solid smack to the nose. I won't break." She rummaged through her duffel for her toiletries bag and pajamas, then headed into the bathroom.

" _Punch_ you?"

"Yeah," she said, closing the door, "'cause it's easier to deal with a headache in the morning than a dead body!"

There was something cute about Nida's awkwardness, Selphie decided. Not _attractive_ -cute; more like little-lost-Moomba cute. In anyone else, it might be annoying, a sign of helplessness, but she knew that when it came down to SeeD business, Nida could handle himself just fine, which made navigating his social ineptitude more akin to a diversion than a chore, with the added bonus that, in this dynamic, Selphie was _finally_ the more experienced and mature individual.

Mature being a relative term, of course.

Freshly-showered and dressed in comfortable pajamas, Selphie bolted out of the bathroom, straight for the bed, eager for the bounce and give of a mattress after spending most of her day on the sparsely-furnished East Galbadia line.

"Whoo-hoo, bedtime, at last!" she cried, launching herself toward the bed. She landed with a grunt and felt a strange wobbling sensation beneath her.

_Crack._

Before she could scramble off the bed, the solitary crack became a cacophony of strained noises. The bed wobbled again, shuddered, then crashed to the floor, the mattress lying at an odd angle, metal coils protruding from the box spring beneath.

"Selphie!" Nida was on his feet, offering her a hand up before the various broken parts had stopped falling. "Are you all right?"

Selphie blinked at the mess, sliding down the mattress to the remnants of the bedframe. "What the heck?" she said. "How old are these beds?"

"Quite old, judging from the condition of the wood." Nida peered at the frame, as if he could ascertain its age on sight. "Sturdy enough for normal use, but the combination of your velocity and your weight—"

"I am _not_ heavy!"

"No, I didn't say you were. But you were moving pretty fast, and that added to the force with which you landed." He gave up waiting for her to take his hand and knelt to examine the damage. "Perhaps there's a way to fix this."

"There's just a way to get splinters." Selphie joined him on the floor, lifting the broken pieces then dropping them in despair. "I'll pay for it, of course, but now we've got to get another room. Dial up the front desk for me, will you?"

Appealing to the clerk at the front desk did no good. The hotel was fully booked for a trade show, down to the extra cots, and replacing the broken bed would take several days, at the least. Selphie hung up and clambered onto her tilted mattress with a sigh.

_Stupid_ , she berated herself. _That was a stupid move, Sefie. What were you trying to do? What did you_ think _might happen? Certainly not_ that _!_ She'd jumped on countless beds before; it was her own special way of tucking herself in. All of them held up to it, even the one in her dorm room. Galbadia _must_ be in rough shape, if its premier hotel could offer only fragile, decades-old furnishings. 

She continued to stew, vaguely aware of Nida watching her. She was about to tell him to just go to sleep, when he rose, gathered his belongings, and walked toward her. 

"I'll sleep here," he said. "You can have the good bed."

"Huh?" She glanced from him to the bed and back, and a new wave of shame washed over her. Not only had she broken her bed in a silly stunt, she'd groused about it like a toddler. That wasn't the Selphie way! Selphie owned up to her mistakes and lived with the consequences. She shook away her gloom and put on her best nonchalant smile.

"Thanks, Nida, but I'll be fine! I've still got a mattress after all; I'll just pull it onto the floor." She got off the mattress and tugged, realizing that it had become snagged in the frame. _Yikes._ Could that have been her _body_ , impaled on bits of wood? Perhaps she should rethink her nighttime ritual. "Or, I could just stay here. I've never tried sleeping at this angle."

"No, I insist. You already had a scare this evening, you deserve to rest comfortably."

"Don't worry about me. I'm tough. Out in the field, I only have a little sleeping bag between me and the ground. I can take it."

"But you don't have to. You’re the leader of tomorrow's operation. A leader should be well-rested."

"A leader should take one for her team."

"Her team won't sleep well feeling guilty."

"Guilty?" Selphie laughed. "Nida, I'm not some frilly little lady you have to accommodate. We're equals! Well, almost. I do have significantly more field experience than you." She trailed off when she noticed Nida's frown, then reached for her duffel bag and pulled out a deck of cards. "Fine. We'll settle this fair and square. Grab your deck; Triple Triad, Galbadian rules, winner gets the good bed."

Nida's brows shot up and he nodded enthusiastically, retrieving his deck and an official playing mat from his belongings within a matter of moments. "How'd you know I'd have a deck on me?" he asked, setting up the mat on his bed. 

"Wild guess. It's a SeeD pastime; I think we all carry them, just out of habit." Selphie made herself comfortable on one side of the mat and chose her cards. "All right, here we go! Gimme your best shot, Nida!"

Neither of the their decks was particularly powerful, and Galbadia's exclusion of the Open rule made strategizing difficult. Even when Selphie thought she'd won handily, Nida's final card exploited the Same rule and unleashed a devastating combo that nullified her gains. The game ended in a draw.

"Shove over, Nida," she said, collecting her cards, "I guess we're sharing the bed." 

Nida blushed violently, his eyes wide and frightened. He'd taken the SeeD exam; he'd seen combat; he'd piloted Garden through a battle, and Selphie had never seen him look as terrified as he did now. She chuckled and selected another set of cards. "All right, all right. One more game."

She actively tried to lose this time around, if only to put an end to Nida's embarrassment. However, an inadvertent combo on her part resulted in another draw.

"Again," Nida said quickly, shuffling his cards and pulling five at random. 

"You wanna mix in Open?"

"I guess."

Being able to see his cards made Selphie careless, however, and once more, Galbadia's Same rule sent them back to their original predicament.

" _Another_ draw?" Selphie cried. "Wow, Nida, you must _really_ want to sleep with me!"

Nida let out a strangled wail before vehemently denying her accusation. "Just take the bed, Selphie, _please_!" he said, packing up his cards and mat and relocating to the tilted mattress. He clambered on top of it, not even bothering to change into his pajamas first, and tried his best to get comfortable. He evidently succeeded, and was snoring softly a short while later. 

Selphie slid under the covers, guilt stabbing her heart like a tiny thorn, more irritating than painful. She'd broken the bed; she shouldn't be rewarded for it. She lay down and tried to sleep, turning over several times, catching glimpses of Nida in his uncomfortable position and feeling like a massive jerk. 

Finally, at half past midnight, she gave up trying to assuage her guilt and dragged her pillow and a blanket to the floor on the other side of the good bed. She couldn't seem to convince Nida to sleep in it, but she could make sure they were both just as uncomfortable.

After all, they were equals. Almost.

⁂

The mission itself went smoothly, even if Selphie and Nida were both a bit sore and prone to cramping from their unusual sleeping arrangement the night before. The Galbadia Hotel managed to find another room for them upon their return to Deling City, and Selphie paid for the damaged bed from her own pocket, reversing the charges made to Balamb Garden's account. 

Nida quickly showered and claimed his bed before Selphie had a chance to wreak any more havoc, and, for her part, Selphie treated the furniture with more care. Once tucked in, they went over the day's events, and Selphie drafted her report for Garden. They turned out the lights without much said between them, and drifted toward sleep.

But in the darkness, Nida turned, and the bed creaked beneath him, and Selphie couldn't help but giggle. He joined her, quietly at first, then building to a full-blown laugh as they both reminisced about the night before, finally able to see the humor and absurdity in it, from the safety of good beds and warm blankets.

Upon returning to Garden, Nida stood beside Selphie as she gave her report to Cid, and Selphie clapped enthusiastically as Nida's first official SeeD mission was added to his record. They left Cid's office and were almost to the elevator when Xu called them back.

"I was going over the finances for your mission," she said, leafing through papers, "and I noticed a reverse charge from the Galbadia Hotel for 'damage to room.' Care to explain that?"

"That? Oh, just a little mishap," Selphie answered, waving it away. "I took care of it myself."

"The returned charge says as much. What was the 'damage' mentioned?"

"Nothing major. A little problem with the furniture."

Xu frowned, then turned her stare on Nida. He began fidgeting almost immediately. "Nida, maybe you can tell me. What was the 'damage?'"

Nida chuckled nervously. "Like Selphie said, just a little accident."

Xu narrowed her eyes.

"It was—it's just—Selphie broke the bed!"

Xu raised her eyebrows and Selphie rolled her eyes, making a mental note to not recommend Nida for any undercover missions.

"Tilmitt?" Xu said slowly. "What does he mean?"

"What he says," Selphie replied with a shrug. "I broke the bed."

"How?"

"I jumped on it."

Xu looked from Selphie to Nida and back again, her expression flickering between disapproval and bemusement. "Care to elaborate?"

"Nothing more to add."

"Really?"

"Really. It's really old furniture, and I'm apparently very heavy." She grinned, and could not resist adding, "Nida said so." 

Nida groaned, blushing to the roots of his hair and trying to explain even as Xu ordered them both back into Cid's office. 

"That's it, then," he muttered. "My first and last mission."

"Don't be such a bummer," Selphie said, giving his shoulder a light punch. "Things'll work out. Let me handle Cid; then, we'll go find Quisty for some Triple Triad pointers. You don't get anywhere in life, playing to a draw!"


End file.
